5.21.2014

This week's Spring Color Series guest writer is Elizabeth! She is also one of our wonderful Modern Modesty admins! Every time Elizabeth shares her outfits, they are ALWAYS so inspirational and stylish! Elizabeth is definitely one of my favorite fashionistas! :) By the way, since many people have asked what the past guest writer's blog links are... none of the ladies I have featured have fashion blogs (although they should!) They are just doing this as a favor for me! :)

A nautically inspired outfit is a classic look that never goes out of style. Thanks to the phase of color and pattern mixing which is popular at this time, there are many more "out of the box" options to achieve this style. I simply went through my closet and pulled all of the pieces that I thought were applicable to a nautical look. I then went through and tried to pair a few pieces together that I haven't really done together before. I also tried (for the most part), to use fairly basic pieces that could be recreated by some of you lovely ladies, with your own articles of clothing.

My first look is a classic navy and white striped top (Target), paired with a colored pencil skirt. I personally love these colors together, but the navy and white also works well with red, yellow, orange, coral, hot pink... etc. Don't be afraid to think outside the box!

The second outfit is a red and white sailboat dress that I recently purchased (Old Navy) on a MAJOR clearance. I paired it with a navy blazer that I've had forever and red shoes. I loved being able to "pop" the look with some red lipstick and fun nautical accessories I've collected over the years.

My third look is a bit more dressy; something I would wear to church on a Sunday. The white lace dress was actually my Easter dress (I prefer to buy solid colored dress so I can do things like this), which I paired with a white and navy cardigan (Forever21). A clearance Charming Charlie necklace set and nude wedges add a simple and classic touch.

The fourth outfit I put together is probably my favorite! I did some VERY bold pattern mixing that I ended up absolutely loving! I have a blue version of this top (JCP- Joe Fresh), and loved it so much that I went back for a second color. The pencil skirt I purchased a few years ago at Target.

My fifth outfit is a more casual one. Something I would run to Target in (provided there was one closer than an hour and a half away from me...) I found this top on vacation (Loft Outlet) and knew it was a must! I paired it with a simple dark wash denim skirt (WalMart) and bright shoes for a pop of color (orange- Cato, mustard- Charming Charlie).

Outfit six is a little more out there. I don't often think of black as nautical, however, I found this anchor top at a thrift store and knew I had to have it! I paired it with this striped skirt (JCP), and liked how it turned out.

I also wanted to share a spiritual thought with you dear ladies today. We've all heard the phrase, "Pretty is as pretty does". At the end of the day, fashion changes and beauty fades. What truly makes us beautiful is not our hair or faces or bodies or clothes. What we do, who we are, how we treat people, and our hearts for the Lord and for His ministry are what determine how beautiful we really are. There is nothing more beautiful than a lady who strives to serve the Lord in all that she does, and there is nothing more ugly than a woman full of hate, bitterness and jealous. Let's strive to be the former, rather than the latter, and seek to please the Lord in all that we do, with a beautiful and gentle spirit.

5.14.2014

This week's guest writer is my lovely friend, Pong! She is not only gorgeous, but also Godly! I look up to her a lot, considering she ALWAYS looks adorable even with having 4 kids! She is going to share some of her tips on how she stays sane being a stay at home Mom and also show you some great ways to use a staple piece like her mint pencil skirt! Enjoy!!

Lauren has graciously asked me to share some Stay at Home Mom tips. As we all know being a SAHM is a full time job with long hours, no breaks, many sleepless nights, and possibly the toughest job a woman can face, but it is also the most rewarding and fulfilling job that God has given to us Moms!! When my 1st born son came into our lives, I'm not going to lie, it was TOUGH!!! My sweet little bundle of joy was a lot of work!! But here's some tips that has really helped me through the years of being a SAHM:

1. Create a cleaning schedule- We just moved into our dream home a few months ago and I now have over 4,000 sq. ft. of house to clean, so It REALLY helps to know what chores I have to do. Buying a simple calendar and jotting down what chores you will do for that day will help you stay on track. Pinterest has some great chore schedules you can copy and follow or create your own like I did to work with my busy schedule. Here is a sample of my Monday: wash, dry and fold one load of laundry, sweep floors, and vacuum the main floor.

2. Organization- I'm not the queen of organization, but I love having a place for everything! (With kids, comes toys!!!) And if your kids are anything like mine, they love to scatter them all over the floor. A cheap option I use besides having toy chests through out our home is using large decorative wicker baskets under our end tables for a cute but organized way to store my children's toys. "Let all things be done decently and in order."(1 Corinthians 14:40)

3. My Best Friend is the Crock Pot!! Cooking for a family of 6 can be tough, but I've become the queen of crock pot meals. I LOVE them, it's so easy, takes little effort and yummy! You can throw your food in the crock pot in the morning, do your cleaning and errands and it's ready by dinner time. One of my favorite easy recipes is cream of chicken in the crock pot:

For our family of 6
Place 6 frozen pieces of chicken breast in the crockpot
Add a large can of cream of chicken then fill half the can with water and pour into crock pot
Cook on low for 4-5 hrs
Once cooked, shred chicken with fork in crock pot and mix evenly with cream of soup
Serve over rice or mashed potatoes
So easy and simple!!
Check out Pinterest for some amazing recipes as well!

4. Teach your children at a young age to pitch in- Kids need to learn how to work, in the society we live in today, it's sad to see but parents are raising lazy bums. It's ok to teach your children how to work, pick up their toys, and do chores around the house. My Abbie is 2 and helps pick up toys, I'm so glad at a young age she is learning how to be responsible. Which in turn, helps mommy. I love that my kids are so helpful. Also make doing chores fun. My kids have races to see who can pick up toys the fastest or I try to reward them for helping with a chore. You won't regret training them up to be helpful. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. "(Proverbs 22:6)

5. Cutting back- I could sit for hours in front of the T.V. watching The Food Network and get NOTHING done, then be so stressed that I didn't get all my chores done for the day. Once I realized it was taking up so much of my time away from what really was supposed to be my focus, I cut myself back from it. It's been years since I have sat down and watched a T.V show during the day. I can't believe how many more things I get done now. I'm not saying I don't watch TV anymore, but now it's normally at night after all my task are done and my kids are in bed. But what are some things that are taking up too much of your time? Facebook, Social Media, Internet or TV? You will be surprised how much you can get done by cutting back on it!

7. LOVE what your doing- One day our kids are going to be grown and out of the house and us moms are going to wish we could go back in time and clean their cereal spills, messy dirty fingers, and toys. Cherish and LOVE these moments with your children! God has given us the most privileged task to be called a MOM! I honestly love being a SAHM!! I can truly say I love taking care of my husband, kids, and home. I can't think of anything more rewarding than doing what I do. So learn to LOVE it Moms, because we only have one chance before its too late. "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord : and the fruit of the womb is his reward." (Psalms 127:3)

Now onto my outfits! I wanted to use one staple piece like my mint pencil skirt and show you how many different outfits you can come up with just by changing your accessories and tops!

Last but not least, here's a picture of my beautiful family that I get the privilege to serve everyday! God Bless!

5.07.2014

Michelle is the lovely guest writer today, and I ALWAYS love her outfits! She always looks so cute! I know you will love her post...

Finding a new outfit is like an adult scavenger hunt! It takes some time, but so worth it! You don’t need TONS of money to feel great in a new outfit. Go hunting in your own closet! I’m a teacher during the week, and have VERY busy Sundays and weekends. My husband and I work in a church in Texas. I like whatever I wear to be classy, yet comfortable enough to wear all day long! I don’t wear a lot of accessories because I work with kids, and they tend to get pulled and stuck on everything throughout the day. Bracelets get in the way of piano playing, so they aren’t an option for me either. And little known fact about me … I don’t have my ears pierced! Necklaces, scarfs, and belts are as detailed as I can get!
I want to take you through the process I used to do research for this post! So, here we go …

Pinterest has changed the way I dress, I usually check Pinterest before I go to bed to lay out my clothes for the next day. The site/app has millions of great ideas! I’ve made a board just to document my own outfits so that I never have to say, “I don’t have anything to wear!” I have another board for inspiration. Here is the picture I used for color inspiration for this blog post.

I took my phone to my closet and grabbed every skirt and shirt I had in these colors!

Used some of the pieces to put these outfits together.

Don’t forget to accessorize! This is the most convenient way to have the feel of a new outfit, without having to actually buy a new outfit!

I don’t pay more than $10 for an article of clothing unless I get a special gift from someone. I am a sucker for clearance racks and “back of the store” deals! Christian ladies have such an opportunity to be an example to the world in the way we dress! Let’s be sharp, classy, put together, and approachable to a world of people that need the Lord!

5.03.2014

This morning I woke up around 8:30 (sleeping in feels SO amazing on Saturday mornings,) and I was told by my husband to get a shower and get ready. While I was getting a shower, he went to my closet and pulled out an outfit and put a note on the floor that said, put this on. :) I was like ooook....Then, he told me to make sure I get extra dolled up today, so I just figured we were going somewhere special for breakfast or something! So when we were leaving the house he finally told me where we were going. He borrowed our friend's Canon Rebel, and was going to take some maternity pictures of me downtown Ocean Springs! I was so excited, because I had wanted to get some maternity pictures done, but just didn't want to pay $200 for them. I figured I've taken a photo every week, so I would be alright... But deep down inside, I did want some nice professional looking pictures!

I think he did a really great job, considering we have both never used a "real" camera! Here's some of my favorites from the shoot this morning!

I found this dress about 2 months ago online from ASOS Maternity for $20. I wasn't really sure I liked it, but I really think it was perfect for these pictures! I'm really happy with how these pictures turned out, even better they were free! :)

5.02.2014

So, today I'm 32 weeks! AHHH, that sounds both super short and super long at the same time! I am starting to get uncomfortable, and not being able to sleep at night...But, on the bright side, God has blessed me with a super easy, healthy pregnancy thus far. I know EVERYone gets uncomfortable when they have a 4 lb. kid in their stomach, so I don't feel so bad!

I found a tiny beginning of a stretch mark, so I have been freaking out, and read online that coconut oil can prevent them, so I went to the store and bought a big ole' jar of coconut oil, and lathered up last night! Anyone use coconut oil for stretch marks? Did it work?

One of my all-time favorite colors of spring/summer is mint! I LOVE the softness of it! Today, I paired my super dee-duper comfy jersey knit dress (Motherhood) with my mint cardigan (H&M), and my mint statement necklace (gifted). On my Facebook group, we just started Hillary Rushford's #stylememay Instagram photo challenge. If you want to join in on the fun just look up the hashtag #stylememay on Instagram and you'll find the days there! (Today is mint to be!)

8 weeks left!! Then my blog will be flooded of outfits of me and my little man! :)